Time Raiders: The Whisper by Elle James Read Free Book Online Page B

you to death as the shaman insists. Kentar convinced the emperor to send you here. Kentar probably sent word that the emperor wants you sacrificed.”
    Imac stared into Marisol’s face. “You believe this?”
    “I was there when you witnessed Kentar’s meeting with Pachacuti. Kentar is very persuasive.”
    Imac stood, her shoulders pushing back, the warrior in her standing tall. “He charms snakes out of the grass.”
    “Or charms an emperor to send his true love away.”
    “Men are weak, even my love, Pachacuti.” Imac sighed.
    “From what I saw through your own eyes, Pachacuti loves you. He would not have you killed.”
    “Sacrificed,” Imac corrected.
    Marisol pressed her lips into a thin line. “Dead is dead. Now are you going to stand around and let Kentar defeat the great jaguar warrior?”
    “No.” She eyed the window far above. Then she turned back to Marisol. “How did you know this about me?”
    “I know what you are, both woman and jaguar.”
    Imac drew in a deep breath and held it, staring at Marisol for a long moment. “You are the only one who knows this.”
    Marisol edged into Imac’s mind, reassuring her that she meant her no harm and the secret remained safe with her.
    At long last, Imac sighed. “I can sense you speak the truth. I will allow you to live.”
    “Well that won’t be long if we are both sacrificed.” Marisol nodded toward the window high on the wall. “If you plan on leaving, now would be a good time, before the Machu Picchu shaman comes to collect his first victim.”
    “I will go. Rest assured I will return to release you.”
    “Release Gunnar first. He is the one Kentar and Pachacuti wanted out of the way most.”
    “The shaman will save the most important for last.” Pachacuti’s lover stripped out of her clothing, her dark skin glowing in the limited lighting.
    “Please,” Marisol implored. “Release the Inti shaman first.”
    Imac’s gaze softened. “You must love him as I love Pachacuti.”
    Marisol shook her head. “We have only known each other a day. I can’t love him. I don’t know him well enough.”
    “It was that way with me, as well. After knowing the emperor for a day, deep in my heart, I knew he was my mate.” She reached out and brushed her fingers across Marisol’s cheek. “I knew you were with me when I spied on Kentar and Pachacuti and when you first appeared in the great hall.”
    Marisol swallowed hard. “You, me and Gunnar have gifts that must be used wisely.”
    “You desire this, don’t you?” Imac fingered the medallion hanging by a leather strap around her neck.
    “Yes.” Marisol’s chest tightened. The shifter held the crux of Marisol’s mission in her grasp. “My people sent me here to collect it. The medallion is greatly needed where I am from.”
    Imac nodded. “I found this amulet in a secret chamber here at Machu Picchu.”
    An image of the location filled Marisol’s mind, complete with hieroglyphs on the walls surrounding the medallion. Marisol saved Imac’s memory as her own.
    Imac continued. “With the amulet, I have better control of my ability to shift to a jaguar. Before, it took longer and was more painful. Because of your concern for my well-being and your honesty, when I leave, the medallion shall be yours.”
    “Thank you.” Marisol bowed her head in acknowledgment of the great gift Imac promised. She raised her head.
    In Imac’s place stood a black jaguar, her gold eyes possessing the same intensity as the warrior woman’s. The animal dipped her head and the strap around her neck slipped to the floor, the medallion clinking against the stone.
    Imac shook her body, her beautiful black pelt shimmering. Then she turned, leaped for the high window ledge, landing with ease. After a quick glance at Marisol, she disappeared.
    Marisol blinked several times to clear the moisture from her eyes. Then she lifted the medallion in her hand, turning it over, tracing the pattern of alien inscriptions in the